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Abstract:
In this work I argue that recognizing our limitations as human beings is essential to maintaining a healthy political order. In order to execute this, I examine the political significance of the role of Charmides, Critias, and Chaerephon in Plato's Charmides. My study of these characters reveals that the will to control others through the possession of knowledge is a dangerous and violent force, a force that continues to influence modern political life. The pursuit of any form of perfection, even perfect knowledge, hinders our understanding of ourselves and leads to the dissolution of
politics.